From geology to art history
Coomaraswamy was born in Colombo in 1877 and educated in England. He trained in geology, but fieldwork in Ceylon drew his attention increasingly to traditional crafts and their social setting. Mediaeval Sinhalese Art grew out of that interest and helped establish the direction of his later work.
He collected and studied Indian painting and helped promote Indian art to audiences in Britain. In 1917 he moved to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where his collection and scholarship helped build its holdings. He remained associated with the museum until his death in 1947, publishing on art, symbolism and religious thought.
A collaboration completed after a death
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists names both Sister Nivedita and Coomaraswamy. Its preface explains that Nivedita’s death in 1911 left the work to be completed and specifies the portions she had written. The 1914 edition held here also credits thirty-two colour illustrations by Indian artists under the supervision of Abanindranath Tagore. Stories, explanations and images therefore meet through several contributors. The volume introduces traditions while also preserving the particular cultural and interpretive concerns of its makers.
